Student loan borrowers who enroll in automatic payments will get a much bigger discount on interest starting July 1, the U.S. Department of Education says.
Temporary interest rate drop: On Thursday, the department said it will temporarily increase its auto pay interest rate discount to one full percentage point. Practically, that means an undergraduate borrower with a loan at the current 6.39% would see their interest rate drop temporarily to 5.39%. The rate cut will last for two years, from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028. The department says borrowers will have until Sept. 30 to sign up for auto pay and qualify for the two-year interest discount.
The backstory: July 1 ushers in a host of big new changes to the federal student aid world, including the introduction of two new repayment plans and controversial new caps on graduate student loans. Auto pay has long offered a modest discount off borrowers' interest rate — .25 percentage points — but after millions of borrowers opted out during the long COVID repayment pause, with some making no payments for years, the nation's student debt portfolio swelled to $1.7 trillion.
Student loan borrowers who enroll in automatic payments will get a much bigger discount on interest starting July 1, the U.S. Department of Education says.
Auto pay has long offered a modest discount off borrowers' interest rate — .25 percentage points — but after millions of borrowers opted out during the long COVID repayment pause, with some making no payments for years, the nation's student debt portfolio swelled to $1.7 trillion.
On Thursday, the department said it will temporarily increase its auto pay interest rate discount to one full percentage point. Practically, that means an undergraduate borrower with a loan at the current 6.39% would see their interest rate drop temporarily to 5.39%.
The rate cut will last for two years, from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028.
Borrowers already enrolled in auto pay do not need to act. They will automatically receive the rate cut.
In a call with reporters on Thursday, Undersecretary Nicholas Kent said that, back in 2019, roughly 83% of borrowers were enrolled in auto pay but that by late 2025, that participation rate had dropped considerably, to just 40% of borrowers.
"This temporary incentive is designed to help borrowers pay down their balances more quickly," Kent told reporters, "take full advantage of new repayment benefits, remain on track for loan discharge opportunities and to strengthen the overall health of the federal student loan portfolio."
The department says borrowers will have until Sept. 30 to sign up for auto pay and qualify for the two-year interest discount.
July 1 ushers in a host of big new changes to the federal student aid world, including the introduction of two new repayment plans and controversial new caps on graduate student loans.
A fire at a Boyle Heights commercial building Wednesday prompted a shelter-in-place order for hours due to hazardous materials, including ammonia.
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Alejandra Molina
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Boyle Heights Beat
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A fire at a Boyle Heights commercial building Wednesday prompted a shelter-in-place order for hours due to hazardous materials, including ammonia. Residents are still expressing concerns over air quality. Here’s what we know.
What materials were burned in the fire?: The fire broke out at Lineage, a logistics company that offers cold storage services, according to the company’s website. The fire spread across the building’s rooftop solar panels. The fire also reached an ammonia line, causing it to off-gas the chemical, and adjacent structures were evacuated to keep people from breathing it in. The ammonia is not toxic to individuals unless they have respiratory issues or come into direct contact with it, fire officials said.
Air quality after the fire: A particle pollution advisory was in effect until at least 12:30 p.m. Friday for an area including Boyle Heights, central LA and parts of Northeast LA. At a press conference Thursday morning, LAFD officials said air quality was being monitored in the area, adding that there was no public threat. However, residents in Boyle Heights reported concerns over smoke, ash and the lingering smell; the air remained acrid and smelled like plastic on Thursday morning.
The fire broke out at Lineage, a logistics company that offers cold storage services, according to the company’s website.
A shelter-in-place order was lifted at around 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, but the fire remained smoldering as of 11 a.m. Thursday, and firefighting efforts continued.
Residents are also still expressing concerns over air quality. Here’s what we know.
What materials burned in the fire?
The fire spread across the building’s rooftop solar panels, prompting firefighters to use helicopters to take on the flames and prevent further spread.
“Any sort of structure fire with [solar] panels burning, there’s going to be some sort of hazardous materials in the air,” LAFD firefighter Jennifer Middleton.
The fire also reached an ammonia line, causing it to off-gas the chemical, and adjacent structures were evacuated to keep people from breathing it in.
The ammonia is not toxic to individuals unless they have respiratory issues or come into direct contact with it, fire officials said.
What to know about smoke and air quality
A particle pollution advisory was in effect until at least 12:30 p.m. Friday for an area including Boyle Heights, central LA and parts of Northeast LA.
At a press conference Thursday morning, LAFD officials said air quality was being monitored in the area, adding that there was no public threat.
However, residents in Boyle Heights reported concerns over smoke, ash and the lingering smell; the air remained acrid and smelled like plastic on Thursday morning.
Boyle Heights Beat reached out to the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the LA County Department of Public Health to ask about air quality levels and how officials determine whether there is a threat to public health.
“Preliminary results from the mobile monitoring showed particulate matter was generally near background levels, however, elevated particulate matter concentrations were observed for a few seconds at a time within the plume,” the AQMD said. “During those few seconds, increased levels of bromine and chlorine were also observed. Bromine and chlorine are typically found at trace levels during structural fires and the levels seen were below short-term health-based exposure thresholds. Concentrations below this level are not expected to cause adverse health effects. No significant levels of air toxic metals were seen.”
As firefighting continues, people downwind may continue to notice poor air quality, the agency added. Smoke becomes cooler as firefighters gain control, causing it not to rise as dramatically into the air.
What should residents do
The LA County Public Health Department issued guidance Wednesday on how residents can protect themselves.
Officials recommend remaining indoors, keeping windows and doors closed, and limiting exposure to outdoor air if residents can see or smell smoke.
Residents with respiratory conditions should continue monitoring local air quality and exercise caution.
Jill Replogle
covers public corruption, debates over our voting system, culture war battles — and more.
Published June 18, 2026 12:33 PM
Huntington Beach has waged a years-long court battle against the state's mandate to plan for some 13,000 new homes.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Topline:
After fighting Sacramento for years, Huntington Beach finally approved a plan this week to allow for significantly more housing.
The backstory: State law requires California cities and counties to plan for enough housing to meet the expected demand, with an emphasis on low-income units. For years, Huntington Beach has fought its allocation of some 13,000 new homes. But the city lost its final legal battle earlier this year.
The last stand? The City Council voted 5-2 to approve a draft housing plan at its meeting earlier this week. Councilmembers said they had to comply with the court order, but would continue to fight for local control over housing and zoning decisions.
What’s next? The state housing department still has to approve the city’s housing plan, so more back-and-forth is likely. It’s also unclear whether Huntington Beach voters will ultimately have to approve the plan. Voters passed a measure in 2024 requiring public approval of major zoning changes in the city.
After fighting Sacramento for years, Huntington Beach finally approved a plan this week to allow for significantly more housing.
State law requires California cities and counties to plan for enough housing to meet the expected demand, with an emphasis on low-income units. For years, Huntington Beach has fought its allocation of some 13,000 new homes. But the city lost its final legal battle earlier this year.
The last stand?
The City Council voted 5-2 to approve a draft housing plan at its meeting earlier this week. Councilmembers said they had to comply with the court order, but would continue to fight for local control over housing and zoning decisions. “There’s still a couple moves on the chessboard on this one,” said Mayor Casey McKeon, without elaborating.
What’s next?
The state housing department still has to approve the city’s housing plan, so more back-and-forth is likely. It’s also unclear whether Huntington Beach voters will ultimately have to approve the plan. Voters passed a measure in 2024 requiring public approval of major zoning changes in the city.
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Long Beach drag queen Jewels, right, joins Councilmember Cindy Allen as they unveil plans for the future LGBTQ+ cultural district, a project that will turn the Broadway corridor into a destination celebrating Long Beach’s history and culture on June 17, 2026.
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Thomas R. Cordova
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Long Beach Post
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Topline:
The city of Long Beach on Wednesday unveiled early mockups for new lighting, historical markers, murals and a plaza that will mark the neighborhood along Broadway as a cultural district for the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ cultural district: The district, designated by the City Council in 2024, will stretch 1.4 miles, between Alamitos Avenue and Temple Avenue, in an area that’s historically been home to many gay bars and other LGBTQ-focused businesses. In the initial phase, the city will add color-changing festoon lighting between Hermosa and Junipero Avenues, wraps and banners on streetpoles, and murals. There will also be a Pride Plaza, situated at the corner of Junipero Avenue and Broadway, with historical markers and educational signs that draw on the city’s LGBTQ+ history.
Why it matters: City planners say the location, which includes Bixby Park near its center, is best suited for the district given its density of LGBTQ+ shops and bars, and as the location of the city’s yearly Pride parade. “This corridor has long been a place that served as a home for gathering space and a source of pride for all the LGBTQ+ community,” said Councilmember Cindy Allen. “This corridor carries a powerful history of community advocacy, celebration, business, and resilience.”
The city of Long Beach on Wednesday unveiled early mockups for new lighting, historical markers, murals and a plaza that will mark the neighborhood along Broadway as a cultural district for the LGBTQ+ community.
The district, designated by the City Council in 2024, will stretch 1.4 miles, between Alamitos Avenue and Temple Avenue, in an area that’s historically been home to many gay bars and other LGBTQ-focused businesses.
The borders of Long Beach’s new LGBTQ+ cultural district.
Right now, the city does not have enough money set aside to fund a redesign of that whole stretch and initially focus on two blocks between Hermosa and Junipero avenues using $3.3 million they’ve so far socked away, Public Works Department spokesperson Jocelin Padilla said.
In the initial phase, the city will add color-changing festoon lighting between Hermosa and Junipero Avenues, wraps and banners on streetpoles, and murals. There will also be a Pride Plaza, situated at the corner of Junipero Avenue and Broadway, with historical markers and educational signs that draw on the city’s LGBTQ+ history.
Designs for the site, officials say, are based heavily on existing districts in San Jose, Chicago and Montreal.
Padilla said there is no date set yet for the work to start, though the city hopes to begin in early 2027 and finish sometime in 2028. A survey was launched this week to garner feedback on the proposed designs. Early renderings of the plaza, Padilla said, were intentionally vague, so that people could give further input on how it should look.
Long Beach unveiled proposed designs for a new Pride Plaza on Broadway as part of an LGBTQ+ cultural district on June 17, 2026.
Future phases will look to add foliage, decorative crosswalks, plaques, signage and construct a memorial to those who died from the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It would be similar in design to memorials built in New York and Chicago.
This comes as multiple city-run surveys and workshops in October 2022 and 2023 found that many feel the area is poorly lit at night and doesn’t have enough tree shading in the day. There was also a high demand for murals, parking spaces and bike lanes.
City planners say the location, which includes Bixby Park near its center, is best suited for the district given its density of LGBTQ+ shops and bars, and as the location of the city’s yearly Pride parade.
“This corridor has long been a place that served as a home for gathering space and a source of pride for all the LGBTQ+ community,” said Councilmember Cindy Allen. “This corridor carries a powerful history of community advocacy, celebration, business, and resilience.”
“Together we are building a district that reflects your voices, honors your history, supports local businesses, and celebrates who you are, not just during Pride, but every single day,” Allen said.
You can see more renderings and give feedback here.
Gab Chabrán
covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published June 18, 2026 10:32 AM
Thomas Crijns and his wife, Carol, at Brussels Bistro in San Clemente. The Manneken-Pis statue behind them dressed in a Belgian national team jersey,is one of the restaurant's many nods to the World Cup.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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Topline:
Belgium faces Iran at SoFi Stadium on June 21, and it turns out there's nowhere in L.A. proper to get a full Belgian meal. But head 40 miles south to San Clemente and you'll find Brussels Bistro, a 24-year-old institution run by Belgian chef Thomas Crijns and his French-Persian wife, Carol.
Why it matters: Belgium is a country the size of Maryland, but its food culture — North Sea shrimp croquettes, carbonnade à la flamande, a deep bench of Trappist beers — rarely gets its due in Southern California. Crijns has been quietly keeping that tradition alive since the early 2000s, all while married into a Persian family that gives the June 21 match an unexpected personal dimension.
Why now: With Belgium and Iran playing one of the World Cup's most anticipated Group G matches just miles from L.A., Brussels Bistro is the rare place where you can taste the culture of one team while sitting across from someone rooting for the other.
Think of pretty much any country, and you can likely find its cuisine in Los Angeles. But when we saw that Belgium was lined up to play Iran on Sunday, June 21, at SoFi Stadium, it gave us pause. Is there a Belgian restaurant in L.A.?
It turns out the answer is complicated. Liège waffles — the dense, caramelized, pearl-sugar version of the Belgian classic — have a real foothold here, with spots like Belgium Waffle Haus in the San Fernando Valley. There's also FRitēS-FReaK, an Orange County food truck devoted entirely to Belgian-style double-fried fries, piled high with toppings like fried egg and bacon.
But a full Belgian dining experience, the kind with mussels and frites and a wall of Trappist beers, is harder to come by. For that, you'll need to drive about 40 miles south down the coast, where Brussels Bistro — with locations in San Clemente and Laguna Beach — pays homage to the cuisine of the distinct but tiny country that's the size of Maryland.
Walk into the San Clemente location, and a marquee above the bar spells out a kind of Belgian shorthand — WE ♥ BELGIUM, CROQUETTES, WAFFLE, FRITES — more mood than menu. Near the entrance, a replica of the Manneken-Pis — one of Belgium's best-known symbols, the naked young boy happily urinating into a basin — sits on a shelf dressed in the Belgian national team jersey, an American flag planted beside him.
Chef-owner Thomas Crijns came from Ottignies, outside Brussels, in the early 2000s to consult on the Laguna Beach location — and never left. He runs the restaurant alongside his wife Carol, who is French-born with Persian heritage, a combination that will make the June 21 match particularly interesting in their household. When asked to describe the food of his home country, Crijns quickly quips: "Belgian cuisine is like French cuisine but with less pretension."
A World Cup match plays above the bar at Brussels Bistro, alongside a deep list of Belgian beers including Chimay, Duvel and Kasteel.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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The menu reads like a love letter to Belgian culinary tradition — mussels, waffles, and carbonnade à la flamande, a Flemish stew made with beer and mustard — alongside a draft list that includes Chimay, Duvel, Rochefort and Delirium Tremens.
But the dish Crijns is most proud of is one most Americans have never heard of. The shrimp croquette is a staple of Belgian brasserie culture, made here with North Sea shrimp — what he calls "the caviar of the North Sea" — flown in every Thursday from a Dutch supplier.
Four golden, breaded croquettes arranged on a white plate over a bed of fried parsley, with a lemon wedge and a dollop of sauce on top of one croquette.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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The croquettes arrived four to a plate, golden and perfectly formed, the exterior giving way to a creamy molten interior where the tiny shrimp created a texture unlike anything I'd had before — something close to squid, but more delicate. The kind of dish that makes more sense with a Belgian beer in hand and a side of frites within reach. The match, though, is a more complicated proposition in the Crijns household.
A taste of Belgium, one tap at a time, at Brussels Bistro in San Clemente.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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Carol would know better than most. Her uncle runs a Persian restaurant in Irvine, part of an Orange County Iranian community of nearly 37,000 — a concentration that rivals many a concentration that rivals many larger cities
On June 21, she expects fans from both sides to fill the restaurant.
"I'm gonna do everything I can to bring as many family members," she said. "To tease my husband as much as I can."
"I'm grateful that the tournament allows us to put aside our differences and bring people together."
Coming from almost anyone else, that might sound like a talking point. Coming from a French-Persian woman married to a Belgian chef, watching Iran play Belgium at their own restaurant — it sounds like something she's earned the right to say.
